Tag Archives: pirates

Caroline Oresteia is destined for the river. For generations, her family has been called by the river god, who has guided their wherries on countless voyages throughout the Riverlands. At seventeen, Caro has spent years listening to the water, ready to meet her fate. But the river god hasn’t spoken her name yet—and if he hasn’t by now, there’s a chance he never will.

Caro decides to take her future into her own hands when her father is arrested for refusing to transport a mysterious crate. By agreeing to deliver it in exchange for his release, Caro finds herself caught in a web of politics and lies, with dangerous pirates after the cargo—an arrogant courier with a secret—and without the river god to help her. With so much at stake, Caro must choose between the life she always wanted and the one she never could have imagined for herself.

From debut author Sarah Tolcser comes an immersive and romantic fantasy set along the waterways of a magical world with a headstrong heroine determined to make her mark.

Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens Books

Pages: 373

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I received this book from my June Uppercase Box right after graduation. Yes, this girl has graduated! This is my first post-grad review! Wow, I can hardly believe it.

Unfortunately, this review is not going to be all unicorns and rainbows. In fact, I believe this review is going to be much like the post-grad world: too realistic and just a bit disappointing for many of the YA optimists out there. My apologies. Can you tell I’m feeling sassy? No? Well, let’s count the ways… shall we?

Like this:

Notorious pirate Barren Reed has one thing on his mind: Revenge against the man who killed his father. So kidnapping his enemy’s fiancé seems a perfect plan…until he actually does it.

Larkin Lee is more than a pretty face and fiancé to a powerful man. Her fierce personality is enough to make any pirate want to push her overboard.

But when the King of the Orient comes to Barren with a task—to find the Bloodstone, a powerful gem thought only to exist in legend, Barren sees another opportunity to destroy his enemy. Together, Barren, Larkin and a crew of pirates set off to find the stone, only to discover it caused the death of Barren’s own mother and Larkin’s, too. As his strongest allies turn into his greatest enemies, and the life of the girl he kidnapped becomes more important than he ever dreamed, Barren’s quest for revenge becomes a fight to save the Orient.

PUBLISHER: StarSeed Press

PAGES: 439

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I first heard of this book from YA Reads Book Tours when I signed up for the book blitz for this book. I don’t sign up for book blitzes unless I’d totally buy the book for myself. After discovering that the book was only $2.99 on Amazon for Kindle, I may or may not have given into my more impulsive book-buying side. Meaning: I spent that $2.99 before you could say the title of this book. Continue reading →